That New Book Feeling

The doorbell rang as I was putting my coat on to head out to pick up my youngest from school.

I wasn't expecting a package. I didn't have time for distractions. The snow (yes, in April) was still coming down, and I had to get going or give up all hope of a place in the parking lot.

But I still answered the doorbell. And there was the courier, holding the box sent by Simon & Schuster of my first Canadian copies of Bellewether.

This is my thirteenth book. I have been published for twenty five years. And the feeling of opening that box of first copies, fresh from the printers, and holding an actual book in my hands after years of building something out of nothing, from the tiniest of glimmering ideas to a growing mess of words on a computer to this thing of total beauty that has pages and a cover—that, for me, remains a thrill.

This is, as I've said, the Canadian edition, which will be on shelves here in a few weeks, starting April 24th.

My American publishers, Sourcebooks, will be bringing out Bellewether in the USA on August 7th. The covers are very different, but I love them both.

Here's a short video I made with my cover designer in the States, giving a bit of insight into her process:

Which means, of course, that when August comes around, I'll have another box of brand new books to open, and I'll get to enjoy that first book feeling all over again!

In the meantime, I'm going to celebrate today with a giveaway.

See that copy of Bellewether there on the top of the box in the photo? I'll choose one winner at random to send it to, from those who leave comments below between now and midnight on Sunday, April 08, 2018.

You can comment however you like, but what I'm really curious about is this:

Have you ever bought a book simply because of the cover? I have—I bought D.B. Jackson's Thieftaker, because I thought the cover was just stunning. What about you?